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Themes In 'The Namesake' By Jhumpa Lahiri

876 Words4 Pages

In the book “The Namesake” Jhumpa Lahiri uses the psychoanalytical lens to show the reader that a western culture society, can challenge an Asian individual’s cultural identity in a negative manner. This is shown through Ashima, and Gogol, the conflicts between Gogol and society, and the technique of foreshadowing and flashback. Firstly, Gogol and Ashima start to confront society as Ashima starts to avoid growing accustomed to the new world, she has “the oldest address book. Bought twenty-eight years ago […]” (Lahiri, 159). This shows that Ashima does not want to grow as her heart is still in India, where she is used to living. Ashima is scared because she believes that change in her standards will end her relationship with her husband, as this new society can allow couples to divorce if any arguments or a valid reason. Gogol starts to grow up and despise things that are not American. Gogol starts to “frown, and his lower lip tremble. Only then, forced at six months to confront his destiny […]” (Lahiri, 40). Gogol starts to feel that he wants nothing to do with the traditional rituals. As of this result, his father and mother have two birthday parties one for his American friend and one with south Asian cultures, as Gogol does not want his American friends to see the difference between him and his friends. Du Bois explains why people change their identity it “described double consciousness as a sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others”. This shows how

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